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_ GASTONIA • NORTH CAROLINA
Tilr«$ton«
FEBRUARY • 1968 §
Firestone Synthetic Fibers
And Textiles Company
Operations of the Firestone Textiles Company, head
quartered at the Gastonia plant since mid-1966, and Fire
stone Synthetic Fibers Company at Hopewell, Va., have
been combined. The new operation has been renamed the
Firestone Synthetic Fibers and Textiles Company. Head
quarters are at the Hopewell plant.
Presidenl of Ihe newly-des-
*9nated division is Robert W.
Rice, who previously was vice
president and general manager
the Firestone Synthetic Fibers
Company. He succeeds Harold
Mercer of the Gastonia plant,
^ho retired in January.
The new designation resulted
^hen the company combined
four divisions into two and
placed them under direction of
J. Campbell, vice president
of non-tire operations.
The other combination in
volved the divisions formerly
known as the Firestone Rubber
^ Latex Products Company of
^all River, Mass., and the Fire
stone Industrial Products Com
pany of Noblesville, Ind. The
two are now known as the Fire
stone Industrial Rubber Prod
ucts Company, with headquar
ters in Noblesville.
Of the new division which in
cludes textiles, Mr. Rice as pres
ident is responsible for the syn
thetic fibers plant at Hopewell,
and the operation of the textile
plants at Gastonia; Bennetts-
ville, S. C., and the new plant
soon to be in full operation at
Bowling Green, Ky.
In the newly-named rubber
products operation — besides
the Noblesville and Fall River
plants — the company has facil
ities at Milan and Newport,
Tenn.; Cory, Pa.; and Los An
geles, Calif.
Charles W. Rippey, former
president of the Fall River divi
sion, is the new company pres
ident. Rogers S. Firestone, for
merly president of the Firestone
Plastics Company at Pottstown,
Pa. and the Firestone Syn
thetic Fibers Company, con
tinues as president of the plas
tics company.
• Among those honoring Harold Mercer at a
dinner marking his retirement were three plant
managers and the president of the non-tire
division which includes textiles. From left: J. V.
Darwin, Firestone Textiles general manager at
Gastonia; Mr. Mercer; Robert W. Rice, Mr. Merc
er's successor as president of Firestone Syn
thetic Fibers and Textiles Company; F. B. Gal-
ligan. Bowling Green, Ky., plant manager; Ralph
King, Bennettsville, S.C., plant manager.
Harold
Mercer
Retired
37 Years Building
And Inspiring
General Manager On Hospital Board
J. V. Darwin, Firestone Tex
tiles general manager, was
Earned to the board of directors
of Gaston Memorial Hospital at
the annual meeting of the group
late January.
Mr. Darwin is one of two new
*^embers named to the board to
Replace members recently re
signed. He was appointed to fill
the unexpired term of F. B. Gal-
ligan, Firestone division oper
ations manager at Gastonia un
til his recent transfer to Bowl
ing Green, Ky. There, he is man
ager of the new Firestone tex
tiles plant.
Mr. Darwin joins eleven others
of the Memorial board of direc
tors to oversee the hospital.
A distinguished business-leadership career which
began with Firestone 37 years ago closed Jan. 31, and
its achievements became a part of the company’s proud
history. Harold Mercer retired as president of Fire
stone Textiles Company, a position to which he was
elevated in 1966.
The outgoing division pres
ident, a native of Indiana and
a graduate of the University
of Illinois, joined the com
pany in 1931 at Akron.
Soon after Harvey S. Fire
stone, company founder, pur
chased the Gastonia plant in
1935, Mr. Mercer was transferred
here as first comptroller. He was
a key man in directing begin
ning operations in May that
year.
IN 1938 he was advanced to
plant general manager and held
that position until promoted to
president of the textile division
a year and a half ago.
Throughout the years, Mr.
Mercer has been a major con-
Ready
For
The
First
Long
Ride
Engineers, supplier representatives, plant
^chnicians and other workmen in late Janu-
readied the first beam of synthetic fab-
for its long, labyrinthine journey through
giant electronically-controlled dip/heat-
^Hsioning unit at Gastonia. The fabric,
^oven here, travels through a dip bath and
onward through multi-stage stretch and gas-
fired heat units, emerging onto beams for
shipment and destined for quality-built
tires.
The mammoth treating unit, automated to
a degree never introduced here before,
stands on the site of the old mill water
reservoir.
tributor to leadership in many
areas of business, professional,
church and civic life. His name
is associated with major ad
vances in the plant here and in
other units of the division, the
textile industry in general, and
in his adopted community and
state.
Among numerous honors ac
corded him are the Silver
Beaver Award for his leader
ship in Piedmont Council, Boy
Scouts of America; and the
Brotherhood Award in Gaston
County, presented by the Na
tional Conference of Christians
and Jews.
A highlight of his years as
Firestone executive and com
munity leader came last April
when Mr. Mercer and the plant
here were honored by the Gas
tonia Chamber of Commerce at
its annual Industry Appreci
ation Banquet.
On that occasion he was
awarded an inscribed plaque
“f o r outstanding industrial
leadership and community ser
vice.”
Upon his retirement at the
end of January, Mr. and Mrs.
Mercer and his son John Mercer
were guests of honor at a dinner
meeting at Gaston Country Club.
Officials and other represent
atives of the plant here and of
the company headquarters
joined other guests of the com
munity to “wish well” the out
going president in his “tran
sition to a new role in life.”
Mr. and Mrs. Mercer continue
living at their home on York
Road, Gastonia, where one of
their hobbies is cultivating
roses.
Besides some business inter
ests, other pursuits to make his
retirement life interesting are
fishing (mostly deepsea), travel,
photography and golf, member
ship in civic and fraternal or
ganizations, and work in First
Methodist Church where the
Mercers are members.
Crescent City
• Rich and mellow Old New
Orleans is one of America's most
interesting cities. The Queen
City by the River is especially
inviting during the extended
season of Mardi Gras Carnival,
climaxed by the fabulous parade
and entertainment gaiety, this
year on February 27. For other
travel notes, see page 4.
BSA Piedmont
Council Report
Gains which the Boy Scouts
of America Piedmont Council
made last year show that Scout
ing is meeting needs of youth
today, believes Raymond Varn-
adore of mechnical service.
The Firestone millwright is
one of several Firestone men
who are among the 4374 volun
teer leaders in the Boy Scouts
Piedmont Council. It is composed
of NC counties Burke, Caldwell,
Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston,
Iredell, Lincoln, McDowell, Polk,
Rutherford and the Carver,
Foothills and Lakeland districts
from portions of these counties.
Last year’s record shows that
the Scout program is an im
portant part of the lives of
• More on page 4